Chelsea players want to fight for Pochettino, says Palmer

Cole Palmer says the Chelsea players want to fight for Mauricio Pochettino, and credits him for Chelsea’s late challenge for a European spot this season.

There has been speculation in recent weeks that Pochettino may not remain Chelsea manager after the end of the season, despite their strong run of form.

Chelsea moved sixth in the Premier League table after holding on to beat Brighton 2-1 on Wednesday with 10 men after Reece James’ late sending-off thanks to goals from Palmer and Christopher Nkunku.

Palmer has proven instrumental for Chelsea in his debut season, scoring 22 goals in the league, but the youngster was quick to move the focus to Pochettino’s work.

“For it to be in our hands to get sixth place is a big thing for us,” Palmer told BBC Sport.

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“Chelsea are a big club and everyone wants to finish higher than sixth, but you have to look at where we were at the start of the season.

“All credit to the manager. All the players love the manager and want to fight for him.”

Chelsea have lost just one of their last 13 Premier League matches, winning each of the last four, meaning they only need to avoid defeat against Bournemouth on Sunday to claim a top-six finish.

Pochettino was full of praise for how his side saw out the win against Brighton, saying: “So happy for the players, they deserve the full credit for the way that we worked, our approach to the game and the way we tried to apply all of the work we were doing on the training ground.

“I am proud. To face a team like Brighton is always difficult here. We are so happy because the three points mean we are closer to achieving what we want.”